Fables
by Arnold Lobel
Single-book spotlight. Lobel's 1981 Caldecott Medal winner — 20 original fables he wrote in Aesop's style, with full-page illustrations. Most parents only know him for Frog and Toad and have never heard of Fables. Picture-books-are-not-just-for-little-kids angle: the fables are meaty enough for older kids and short enough for any age. Lobel deceased 1987 — name only. Publisher: HarperCollins (originally Harper & Row, 1980).